Aviation News

A rash of seat track failures in the mid 1980s led to an FAA airworthiness directive (AD) on several Cessna models. Faulty latch mechanisms led to several accidents in which the seat slid back and the pilot lost control of the airplane. Now, the FAA has published a notice of proposed rulemaking that adds new […]

Fractional aircraft specialist NetJets announced pretax earnings of $158 million for the first nine months of this year, contrasting with losses of $531 million for the same time frame last year. The increased earnings are attributed to increases in flight hours and lower fuel costs, though income from monthly management fees is down due to […]

When Congressman Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) retires at the end of this term, he will be replaced as chairman of the House of Representatives’ GA caucus by fellow Republican Sam Graves (R-Mo.). A longtime pilot, Graves is lauded by GA advocacy groups as a good choice to the lead the caucus, which Ehler helped to establish […]

You could say the bad news is that Bye Energy’s plan for an electric Cessna 172 will have only two seats and an endurance of two hours. But the good news for flight schools might far outweigh those drawbacks. For one, the energy costs to fly the airplane are expected to be less than $10 […]

General aviation is still in the doldrums, reflected by low third quarter numbers from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Deliveries dipped to 420 aircraft, that’s 23.4 percent lower than Q3 2009. Stacked up against the same time period in 2008, it’s even more depressing — down by almost 60 percent. But that was the […]

Conservatives had plenty to cheer about at the close of Election Day 2010, as incumbents were swept away in a wave of dissatisfaction with the status quo in Washington. But for general aviation interest groups, the new class of congressmen represents a new class to be educated about our industry. And in the case of […]

Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) appears largely unrepentant about his failure to access notams about a closed runway. The senator, a 10,000-hour pilot who has been flying for 50 years, landed a Cessna 340 on a closed runway at Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport in Texas on Oct. 21. The runway was marked with oversize Xs and […]

Most are familiar with the Corporate Angel Network’s mission — arranging rides to and from treatment for cancer patients in empty seats on corporate aircraft. But the breadth of the White Plains, New York-based charity was underscored when it arranged transportation for 317 patients in October this year — the most impressive monthly total in […]

It’s almost two years since US Airways Flight 1549 achieved its ‘miracle’ water landing in the Hudson River. In the time since, pilots Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles have spoken before innumerable people to recount their experience. But last June, Skiles addressed a group that not only knows a lot about the bird strike […]

Anyone on the decision-making fence about springing for a new aircraft needs to act fast. The stimulus 50-percent bonus depreciation law covers new aircraft delivered by year end, and the tax savings can be huge. Essentially, buyers are able to accelerate half the overall depreciation of the aircraft into one year, allowing a significant tax […]